History of the "Bourke" Eyeshield. Firefighter Lester T. Bourke was an eight-year veteran of FDNY assigned to Engine Company 231 in Brooklyn. Bourke came up with the idea for eye protection and set to work designing and fabricating his invention. After 13 working models, he came up with his nearly finished product. After contacting the manufacturer of the leather FDNY helmet, the eyeshields were improved slightly and put into production. The BOURKE Flip-Down Eye Shields were an immediate hit and are still in use today by FDNY firefighters.